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Thursday, April 23, 2009

NOTE from DearMYRTLE: The following press release comes from our friends at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC. Ol' Myrt is please to be attending an evening presentation in early May with a genealogy friend who is celebrating his 60th birthday.

FORD’S THEATRE REOPENING SEASON CONTINUES WITHCivil WarBY FRANK WILDHORN, GREGORY BOYD AND JACK MURPHYMUSIC BY FRANK WILDHORNDIRECTED BY JEFF CALHOUNWASHINGTON, D.C. – The Ford’s Theatre reopening season continues with the Tony-nominated The Civil War by Frank Wildhorn, Gregory Boyd and Jack Murphy. Jeff Calhoun directs the production at Ford’s Theatre from March 27-May 24, 2009.

A landscape of the people, voices and sentiments of the American Civil War, this song-cycle is inspired by the words of Walt Whitman, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln as well as the lives (as documented through letters, photographs and journals) of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

Drawing from the American musical genres of rock, country, gospel, folk and rhythm and blues,The Civil War combines the stories of Union and Confederate soldiers, slaves, abolitionists and veterans in an unconventional musical composition. The production is staged in a concert-like setting with a live seven-piece band and vocalists who tell of freedom and patriotism.

“The Civil War utilizes Frank Wildhorn's sensational score to bear witness to the struggles of the past, and actively connect those struggles to our lives in the present day,” said director Jeff Calhoun. “This contemporary re-imagining, juxtaposed with historical elements, allows a diverse ensemble to simultaneously recall the slave experience, the lives of soldiers and the effects of war on families through a contemporary lens. It is hard to imagine a more poignant place than the Ford’s Theatre to present this production of The Civil War.”

This production is made possible by Nortel, Raytheon Company, ExxonMobil, Southern Company and The Freed Foundation. Ford’s Theatre stages are Built by The Home Depot. Chevron is a 2008-2009 season sponsor.